Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 8, 2026

Continental O-300 series

6,623 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental O-300 series engine, rated at about 145 horsepower. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the model most often fitted with it (6,073 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1949 and 2021.

The FAA records engines by code, usually at the level of a series ("O-320 series") rather than the exact variant; this page gathers every FAA code that reads as Continental O-300 series. FAA spelling: 0-300 SER.

Fitted to model families

Model families, as a table

	aircraft
Cessna 172 Skyhawk	6,073
Cessna 170	372
Maule M-4	47
Cessna 175 Skylark	41
Globe GC-1 Swift	28
Aeronca 15	8
Temco GC-1	8
Cessna 150	7
Maule BEE DEE M-4	3
Piper PA-18 Super Cub	2
Piper PA-24 Comanche	2
American Champion Aircraft 7 Citabria and Champ	1

Cessna 172 Skyhawk · Cessna 170 · Maule M-4 · Cessna 175 Skylark · Globe GC-1 Swift · Aeronca 15 · Temco GC-1 · Cessna 150 · Maule BEE DEE M-4 · Piper PA-18 Super Cub

Where they are owner's state

Texas622California469Florida340Washington306Alaska267Michigan223Ohio219Georgia202Oregon194North Carolina191

By state, as a table

	aircraft
Texas	622
California	469
Florida	340
Washington	306
Alaska	267
Michigan	223
Ohio	219
Georgia	202
Oregon	194
North Carolina	191

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles6,621 (100%)Piston twins1 (0.0%)Helicopters1 (0.0%)

By kind, as a table

	aircraft	share
Piston singles	6,621	100%
Piston twins	1	0.0%
Helicopters	1	0.0%

When the aircraft were built by decade

By decade built, as a table

	aircraft
1940	62
1950	1,889
1960	3,524
1970	14
1980	3
1990	2
2000	3
2020	1

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental O-300 series the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E-253, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 7 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 38 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 5 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 7 airworthiness directives · newest first

2023-10-262023-17-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine

2022-03-292022-04-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine

2012-01-242011-26-07 · Engine · engine

2002-07-122002-13-04 · Magneto impulse coupling stop pin · engine

1996-02-1394-05-05 R1 · Cylinder Rocker · engine

1993-08-1293-10-02 · Missing Cylinder Valve Retainer Key · engine

All orders naming the Continental O-300 series

Failure reports 38 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

Failure reports by year, as a table

	reports
96	1
01	3
02	4
03	10
04	3
05	2
06	2
07	5
08	2
09	1
11	1
12	1
13	1
19	2

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Baffle4Cylinder3Bulkhead2Connecting Rod2Stringer2Wheel2Adapter1Axle1Battery1Bearing Cage1

Parts most reported, as a table

	reports
Baffle	4
Cylinder	3
Bulkhead	2
Connecting Rod	2
Stringer	2
Wheel	2
Adapter	1
Axle	1
Battery	1
Bearing Cage	1

Latest reports

2019-11-19Line: broken

2019-05-10Cylinder: cracked

2013-02-22Counterweight: loose

2012-07-10Cylinder: cracked

2011-08-08Cylinder: broken

Certificates and bulletins

E-253Type certificate held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC. · 8 models listed · revised September 19, 2022

Safety bulletins 3 · advice, not orders

2018-09-10NE-18-27 · POWERPLANT Rocker Shaft Boss Inspection

2016-03-08NE-16-13 · Powerplant - Prohibited use of sealant

2012-10-31NE-13-04 · Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI) Connecting Rod Piston Pin Bushing Inspection

Sources: the FAA's type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives, supplemental type certificates, special conditions and special airworthiness information bulletins (Dynamic Regulatory System), and the FAA's service difficulty reports. A failure report is what an operator or repair station chose to file; the counts show reporting as much as reliability, and larger and commercial fleets report more. How the systems are grouped.

Connections how this engine series links to the rest of the register

Fitted to

Cessna 172 Skyhawk 6,073 with this engine series
Cessna 170 372 with this engine series
Maule M-4 47 with this engine series
Cessna 175 Skylark 41 with this engine series
Globe GC-1 Swift 28 with this engine series
Aeronca 15 8 with this engine series
Temco GC-1 8 with this engine series
Cessna 150 7 with this engine series

Where they are

Texas 622 of these aircraft
California 469 of these aircraft
Florida 340 of these aircraft
Washington 306 of these aircraft
Alaska 267 of these aircraft

Biggest operators

United States Air Force Owner 10 of these aircraft
Bas Part Sales LLC 9 of these aircraft
Sutton Aircraft Salvage LLC 8 of these aircraft
Dmac Aircraft LLC 8 of these aircraft
United States Air Force 7 of these aircraft

Airworthiness

FAA orders naming the Continental O-300 series 7 airworthiness directives
Failure reports on the Continental O-300 series 38 reports since 1995

Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-o-300-series.json.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 6,623

Tail no.	Maker and model	Group	Owner and base	Certificate	Registered	Status
N7480X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-06-13	Valid
N4119F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2017-06-12	Valid
N16SB	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New Mexico	Restricted	2017-06-07	Valid
N2901D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Delaware	Standard	2017-06-01	Valid
N8133B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Missouri	Standard	2017-05-31	Valid
N9160B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	S & J Investments LLC Sardis, Mississippi	Standard	2017-05-30	Valid
N7608X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2017-05-25	Valid
N2682L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Commonwealth Technical Services INC Powhatan, Virginia	Standard	2017-05-24	Valid
N7824X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2017-05-23	Valid
N5642A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-05-22	Valid
N6784A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Atlantic Rotors LLC Saint Inigoes, Maryland	Standard	2017-05-22	Valid
N5359T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2017-05-19	Valid
N4153V	Cessna 170	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arkansas	Standard	2017-05-18	Valid
N3901S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2017-05-17	Valid
N7904B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-05-17	Valid
N80707	Globe GC-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2017-05-17	Valid
N3257L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-05-16	Valid
N3688L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2017-05-15	Valid
N7131T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2017-05-15	Valid
N6247G	Cessna 150K	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-05-11	Valid
N1739F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-05-10	Valid
N3883S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2017-05-10	Valid
N3463D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2017-05-08	Valid
N3817S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2017-05-08	Valid
N8285U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Del Martin LP Spring, Texas	Standard	2017-05-08	Valid
N8136X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wyoming	Standard	2017-05-04	Valid
N8446X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Delaware	Standard	2017-05-04	Valid
N3508S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2017-05-03	Valid
N4736T	Maule M-4	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lb Aero Services INC Poplar Grove, Illinois	Standard	2017-05-03	Valid
N8823U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2017-05-03	Valid
N5033A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aloof Aviation LLC Denver, Colorado	Standard	2017-05-02	Valid
N7291T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2017-05-02	Valid
N8689B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2017-05-01	Valid
N8611B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2017-04-24	Valid
N5704T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2017-04-20	Valid
N7950B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2017-04-20	Valid
N4477L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2017-04-18	Valid
N727LC	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2017-04-18	Valid
N6294E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Flightpath Leasing LLC Tallahassee, Florida	Standard	2017-04-17	Valid
N122PW	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Kal Aero Flight Instruction LLC Mattawan, Michigan	Standard	2017-04-11	Valid
N7788U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nevada	Standard	2017-04-11	Valid
N5692A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2017-04-10	Valid
N1847Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	N1847Y LLC Queensbury, New York	Standard	2017-04-07	Valid
N6628A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2017-04-07	Valid
N3975F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Seventy Five Foxtrot LLC Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2017-04-06	Valid
N6859A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Restricted	2017-04-06	Valid
N5394T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2017-04-03	Valid
N172GF	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Del Martin LP Spring, Texas	Standard	2017-03-31	Valid
N2595Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2017-03-29	Valid
N7499T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2017-03-29	Valid
N6830A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner South Dakota	Standard	2017-03-28	Valid
N2930U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New Mexico	Standard	2017-03-15	Valid
N7835U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Eyrie Aviation LLC Suwanee, Georgia	Standard	2017-03-15	Valid
N1362Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Kansas State University Salina, Kansas	Standard	2017-03-09	Valid
N4056F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2017-03-08	Valid
N411RF	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Foothill Aircraft Sales & Service INC Upland, California	Standard	2017-03-08	Valid
N4349B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2017-03-08	Valid
N4167F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Georgia	Standard	2017-03-01	Valid
N8902B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2017-03-01	Valid
N2949D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Standard	2017-02-24	Valid
N7394T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2017-02-23	Valid
N6400B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2017-02-22	Valid
N8122X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Rusty Flyer Aviation LLC Grove City, Ohio	Standard	2017-02-21	Valid
N172BC	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Tennessee	Standard	2017-02-17	Valid
N2600L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	N2600L LLC Pageland, South Carolina	Standard	2017-02-17	Valid
N371SR	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2017-02-15	Valid
N6299E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2017-02-15	Valid
N8480U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2017-02-15	Valid
N9880T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2017-02-14	Valid
N36SK	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2017-02-13	Valid
N3809R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nebraska	Standard	2017-02-13	Valid
N8755B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	2017-02-10	Valid
N5511R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Luv2Fly Enterprises INC Lewes, Delaware	Standard	2017-02-07	Valid
N6390E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2017-02-07	Valid
N2657U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Szymanski Janet M Alanson, Michigan	Standard	2017-02-06	Valid
N7001E	Cessna 175A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2017-02-03	Valid
N2538U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-02-02	Valid
N2763U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2017-02-01	Valid
N3636S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nevada	Standard	2017-02-01	Valid
N5371L	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-02-01	Valid
N3466D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2017-01-31	Valid
N5645T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	J & J Aviation INC Martinsville, Virginia	Standard	2017-01-27	Valid
N4420L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mic Jack LLC Stuart, Florida	Standard	2017-01-26	Valid
N7333T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Myl High Flying Club LLC Mccall, Idaho	Standard	2017-01-26	Valid
N7835T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Round Engine Aero Nashville, Michigan	Standard	2017-01-25	Valid
N8374B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2017-01-25	Valid
N5876R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2017-01-24	Valid
N7218T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2017-01-24	Valid
N7547T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	2017-01-24	Valid
N8477X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-01-24	Valid
N2521L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Expert Construction Services LLC Mclean, Virginia	Standard	2017-01-23	Valid
N172EG	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2017-01-18	Valid
N3248K	Globe GC-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2017-01-18	Valid
N7839X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2017-01-17	Valid
N2818U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2017-01-13	Valid
N5600R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2017-01-13	Valid
N8324B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2017-01-12	Valid
N1390Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Virginia	Standard	2017-01-11	Valid
N3747S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2017-01-05	Valid
N7161A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2017-01-05	Valid

Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), October 8, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.